Why Barca failed in the Nico Williams deal

President Joan Laporta has shed light on why Barcelona failed to sign Nico Williams, highlighting the huge difference in payment terms and commissions as the main obstacle.

The failure of the Williams deal is a testament to Barcelona's financial and strategic difficulties.

“We started negotiations, but what they (Nico Williams' side) initially offered and what they actually did had a big difference in terms of payment, commission for the agent and a series of other variables, which made the deal difficult to succeed,” Laporta told El Pais .

“Deco (Barca's sporting director) then asked Nico Williams' side to accept our terms within 48 hours, otherwise the deal would be over. In the end, nothing happened.”

Initially, Nico Williams was not the preferred target, as the Barca president preferred two other options, Luis Diaz (Liverpool) and Marcus Rashford (Manchester United). However, Williams' agent proactively contacted, suggesting that Barcelona consider signing this player.

Barcelona sporting director Deco played a key role in putting Nico Williams on the club's shopping list. Laporta revealed that it was Deco who convinced him to consider Williams, despite Deco himself preferring Luis Diaz.

However, negotiations quickly stalled over financial disagreements. A deal for Díaz then fell through as Liverpool were determined to keep the Colombian star, with an asking price in excess of £80 million. Rashford, on the other hand, became a more viable option, with Manchester United agreeing to loan the 27-year-old with an option to buy in the summer of 2026.

Source: https://znews.vn/ly-do-barca-that-bai-trong-vu-nico-williams-post1571442.html